JOHANNESBURG, March 16 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's law enforcement agencies will be deployed in various parts of the country to protect businesses that will not heed the call by the opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) for shutdown, Police Minister Bheki Cele said Thursday.
The law enforcement agencies through the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure will make multidisciplinary deployments to monitor the situation, Cele said at a media briefing. The EFF has called for a national shutdown on March 20 to force President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.
"We will be closely monitoring the situation throughout the country and will act swiftly and decisively against any threats or disruptions. There will be high police visibility. We want to assure everyone in the country that March 20 will be a normal business day," said Cele.
Those who will not join the protest will be protected, Cele said, adding that those who will intimidate, stop anyone from going to work, barricade the roads and highways or use any form of violence will be arrested.
"We also want to caution against the spreading of messages of fear, intimidation, or inflammatory statements that could incite violence. This is a criminal offense. We are aware of many social media accounts claiming that hundreds and thousands of followers are being mobilized to support the protest," the minister said. ■